It is well known that platinum group metal (PGM) catalysts require high surface area to maintain their high catalytic activity and that sintering occurs at elevated temperature, resulting in lower surface area and therefore fewer sites for reactions to occur. In order to maximize the available surface area available for reactions, nanoparticles of the catalytic material are preferred as they have a high surface to volume ratio. This further complicates sintering as the nanoparticles have a strained surface and this makes agglomerating into larger particles energetically favorable.
There is therefore a need for sinter resistant catalyst particles that will operate at high temperatures and not lose activity due to sintering.